i have a question for anyone that owns a mazda protege. this is my first car and my hands are dying to modify it any way i can. (body kit, performance wise, etc) i eventually want to get a brand new car, but i wont have the money for a while. (2-3 years) my question is how do you know if your car is worth modifying or should i wait? everyone tells me to wait but i see so many things i can do to my protege and its in excellent shape!! it has 55,000 miles on it and runs very well. please help me with your opinions!! thank you

 

If your car has a manual transmission then the best thing you can do for it from a performance perspective is turbocharge it; if not, then there isn't much you can do for performance. Living in Queens is hard on a car, and adding suspension components can be a double edged sword as the handling will improve, but the tradeoff in the ride might make your car more than a bit uncomfortable. Body kit wise, depending upon where you live, drive, and park in Queens; body kits (especially when combined with a lower suspension) can be problematic and can get torn up rather quickly.

Were I in your shoes and living in any of the Boroughs, I'd turbocharge the engine (assuming a 5-Speed of course), and buy a nice set of wheels and tires for spring through fall duty and use the factory setup for winter.

 

I second Shipo on this.
Also, if you have a '95 through '98 model it will be difficult to find a body kit that looks good. The rounded shapes just don't go well with the usual after market body kits.

Obviously you need an outlet for your youthful energy. I bet there are Autocross opportunities in your area. Honing driving skills is a lot of fun and you get to know other enthusiasts.

 

I would consider the value added to a used car by modifying it. Is it worth pouring $2000 in modifications on a $2500 car?

What happens if you get in an accident and your insurance won't cover the modifications?

Personally I would wait until you can afford a performance car worth modifying. You can get hold of a 2010 Camaro (312 HP V6) for about $21000.00

 

Don't waste your money the protege engine isn't worth the time modifying to even turbo it properly your looking 10,000+ yes you can buy these kits that have everything included for a couple grand but that doesn't include the mods the engine needs to run a turbo, the stock ecu won't work with a turbo you would have to get a stand alone ecu tune to manage the turbo, plus tuning and dyno time she gets to be a pretty big bill if you want to throw a body kit on it okay but since you have plans for a Diffrent car save your money.